The World's a Big Place
by LaurenVera
Summary: Damon and Elena are on a road trip to rescue Stefan, Elena is coming to realize that Stefan isn't the only brother she loves. She vents her feelings ot a letter she'll never send, adressed to Stefan. But what happens when Damon finds this letter?
1. Desirable

Stefan,

The world's a big place.

Bigger than you, and bigger than me.

Bigger than _us._

But I fear we never really existed. You were half a soul, as was I. But you weren't my missing piece. _He _was. Yeah, that guy over there. See him, gulping down that bourbon like it's going out of style? _Him._

And I know I sound a little crazy. But doesn't true love to that to a person? To anyone? If it couldn't, than I'd be rather afraid of the things that vicious bitch made you do in 1864. Even with compulsion.

You could argue with me if you wanted. Say something stupid like you always do. "He's dangerous, Elena." I can just see your forehead crinkling, and your eyebrows knitting together and your frown deepening. Just like it always does.

Sometimes that look of yours, the one Caroline calls "your serious-vampire-look", gives me the urge to laugh. I always suppress it, though. Maybe that's why I stuck around _your brother_ so much. It was always your very favourite argument topic. _Always._

And I know that _he_ would never hurt me. He's incapable of doing such things. The only way he could ever bring any harm was staying away. Heartbreak counts as harm, too, by the way. That's something you should know about.

Maybe that's why I'm so bitter. He's been repelling from me lately like I'm a stack of vervain. Like I'm the sun and he's without his ring.

I also know for a fact that if I searched the world all around, even a thousand times, I know I wouldn't fine someone that could ever compare to _him._ His ever-present smirk, his never-present dazzling smile, his blue, blue eyes that hold the world…

If you ever see this letter, I know that I've gone out of my mind. Just remind me that. Remind me that I've gone out of my mind to have ever written this, kept this, shared this…

Remind me I'm out of my mind with love, too.

I can't possibly imagine your reaction to this. I hope I never do. I hope this is never found. I hope I work up the nerve to toss this away. To never look back at it, to never give it's contents a second thought. _Ever_.

I wish I could walk away, I wish I didn't have to hurt you like this. And if things go as planned, I never will. However, I make no promises.

The world is a big place, and gossip is spread, people talk and once it's out, it's _out_. Then there's no turning back, no turning back to you.

If all fails, you'll find someone else. Someone who'll love you, and treat you right, and not fall for your brother. Someone who won't wish to be in his arms over yours.

After all, the world's a big place.


	2. Uncontrollable

**A/N: I've decided to continue with this. I can't get it off my mind, there's just so much more that this could come to. But I'm going to have to state a few facts about the setting.**

**Damon and Elena are on a road trip thing to "rescue" Stefan. And Elena is coming to realize her feelings for Damon. (For those of you who read the books, the tension is much like Shadow Souls.) They're both kind of insane. **

It was literally the moment that Elena had finished signing off the letter that there was a loud rapping at the dingy motel door. "Elena!" called Damon from the hallway.

Elena shot up from the uncomfortable desk chair frantically, crumpling up the piece of paper without giving it a second thought, and shoving it in the pocket of her hoodie.

"Yeah! I'm coming!" She yelled.

She pulled open the door to meet with a Starbucks bag being pushed to her chest. "I thought you'd be hungry," Damon muttered, stepping into the dimly lit room.

She smiled weakly. "Um, yeah I was. Thanks," She said awkwardly, closing the door gently behind them. She peeked inside the bag, finding a chocolate chip muffin, her favourite.

"This too," He mumbled, placing a steaming hot coffee on the desk.

Her warm eyes flickered up to meet his icy blue ones as he did and for a moment she couldn't help but allow her gaze linger longer than it needed. She felt the need to do exactly what they had last night…

_Elena swore that Damon's eyes hadn't wandered from the road since they had started their little journey way back in Mystic Falls. Six hours ago._

_She knew for a fact that Damon was never an attentive driver. _Never._ Actually, she remembered being uncomfortable whenever he was behind the wheel, he was more reckless than he was alert. So why the hell did he act as if she wasn't sitting next to him?_

_It wasn't as if he didn't like her, either. No, he'd made it pretty clear that his feelings towards her were more like the complete opposite. And now she just couldn't get his words out of her head. They were stained to her skull, and remained echoing in her soul. _

"_But I love you. You should know that." Over and over and over, constantly. More times than her heart thumped— now rapidly— and more times than her lungs filled with the uncomfortably silent air. _

_It wasn't like he was bloodthirsty. She'd knew what he'd been up to while she'd sat eating alone in the shabby fifties-themed-diner. They hadn't took any blood bags with them, but the whole world was a supermarket for Damon._

_He'd probably found some worthless whore to snack on. She was probably drunk in some bar, too. Either that, or hung-over. Damon's lunch probably couldn't even compare to herself, so why was she suddenly finding herself _jealous_ of Damon locking that drunken whore in an unbreakable grasp, why was she _jealous _of that whore's blood pumping through his veins?_

_She didn't want to know the answer to that question, so instead she washed that horrible one away with one she couldn't answer herself._

_It was also a possible conversation-starter. "So… Bonnie did the locator spell?"_

_He still did not look at her. "Yup," he confirmed, popping the 'p' ._

_Well, that certainly helped. "And…"_

"_Detroit."_

_She sighed, not enjoying his one-word responses._

_Noticing that dusk was rolling around, she spoke again. "Are we going to get a motel, or something for the night, or… what?" She asked awkwardly._

"_When I find one," He told her._

_Those were the last words spoken the remainder of the drive to Louisville, Kentucky, their chosen destination to head in for the night._

_By the time they finally reached a random "Best Western's" parking lot, Elena was about to explode with the lack of attention. _

_After clicking loose her seatbeat, she fiercely— and for the first time _purposely_— looked him straight in the eye. "I'm am sick of you! What's your problem tonight!"_

_He said nothing. He didn't move. _

_And then finally, he spoke at last. "I have a lot on my mind, I guess."_

"_A lot on your mind!" She repeated mockingly. "I'll give you a lot on your mind!"_

_And then she couldn't stand it any longer. She smashed her mouth to his, and they let everything out without using words. Her fingers twisted in his hair, telling him that she didn't plan for this to happen, but couldn't fight it anymore. His hands were gripping her slender back, yanking her body into his, telling her that he wanted it always to be like this, to always be _together_ like this. _

_So in his car, they lost track of time and by the time they stumbled into the hotel, it wasn't dusk anymore, it was midnight._

Elena found it very hard to believe that had been only yesterday. And now they were right back to where they'd started from, only without the sour arrogance from Damon. The remaining awkwardness was just enhanced, and the atmosphere was incredibly uncomfortable.

As Damon padded into the tiny bathroom, she took a sip of her coffee and sat down on _her_ bed. (Yes, they'd remember _two_, tonight.)

Once she'd finished the entire cup, she was just plain exhausted. So she shrugged out of her hoodie, and curled up under the warm covers.

**XxX**

Damon could hear the old bed squeaking as she settled down in bed, and he could hear her breathing low as she drifted to her dreams. So when he entered the bedroom again, he was not surprised to find her fast asleep.

He chucked her empty coffee-cup in the trash, and then proceeded to grab her hoodie from the floor. Though, he couldn't help but notice that it's pocket was definitely _not_ empty.

He found one single, and crumpled, sheet of paper. He gently unfolded it, careful not to rip it, and when he saw who it was addressed to, he almost stopped right there.

His eyes were probably the last pair she wanted on this. It wasn't like it really mattered anyways, it was probably just some mushy love letter for her precious beloved, that she would give to him after he was rescued.

He could just see it now, as soon as Stefan was back in her arms, Damon would be forgotten. He was just her temporary replacement Stefan. He was worthless. Their relationship; Meaningless.

However, he just couldn't help himself.

While reading, not many words came to his mind. Not many were that appropriate for this moment.

He could manage one, though.

_Fuck!_

He wanted to hug her, to squeeze her, he wanted to kiss her over and over again, he wanted to hold her, and comfort her, and tell her it would all be okay. He wanted to escape life with her, to run away from… _here _with her, to be with him forever and ever.

But that wasn't all.

He wanted to run away, alone, to get the hell away from this place, from _her, _to never look back, to never think of her ever again, to live his life the way he had before she had come prancing in; Snatch, eat, erase.

He wanted to party all night at random clubs and bars. He wanted to spend his life with one friend: alcohol. He wanted.. Damn! He didn't know what he wanted!

But he was sure as hell he couldn't stand being in the friend-zone with her anymore. It was either all or nothing.

When Damon heard Elena shifting on the bed, and yawn, he re-crumpled the letter and shoved it in the pocket of his jeans.

But she was too quick.

"What's that?" She breathed, stretching her arms out.

"N-nothing," he stuttered. Damn! Damon Salvatore didn't _stutter!_

Her once wide doe eyes narrowed. "You didn't."


	3. Bittersweet

**I become your shadow, I****'d love but don't know how to**

**I'm always lost for words You look like a thousand suns, I wanna be**

**The only one left when your day is done**

**It's a long way for heartbreak**

**Let your heart wait and bleed**

**Oh, how long 'till your surrender to me?**

**XxX**

"I didn't what?" He was nearly smirking now, despite the tense situation they'd thrown themselves into. And Elena was completely positive that as soon as it made it's appearance, she'd want to smack it right off those luscious lips. The luscious lips she'd tasted only yesterday…

_Focus_.

"I'm not doing this right now." She seriously was not in any mood for one of his games. He could twist anything you say around into just about _anything _he wanted to hear.

"Doing what?" Just like he was doing _right now_.

His misty blue-grey eyes were wide and innocent-like, although Elena knew he was only trying to charm his way out of trouble. And Elena definitely had some _trouble _planned for him if he'd really invaded her privacy like that.

The only thing left to wonder, was why the hell Damon was agitating her like this. If she was correct, and Damon had taken enough from his experience with Elena to realize the storm that he had brewed up inside of the girl laying tangled in the cream sheets, well then, why was he playing his words games with her? He was supposed to know how much they _annoyed_ her. Was he just playing with fire? Was he _begging_ for trouble?

Somehow, the answer to the last two questions had to be a yes for Elena.

"Please, Damon," she begged. She ran a hand through her shiny hair in exasperation. "I think you know exactly what just happened."

Her words hung in the air for some time, before he finally convinced himself to say what was needed to be said. "I didn't read it."

She sighed with great relief, retrieving the letter when he offered it to her.

And she smiled, the first trace of a real genuine smile he'd seen on her soft lips in weeks. The soft lips he'd tasted only yesterday…

_Focus_.

"What was so damn important about it that I couldn't see it _anyways_?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh… stuff. Stuff for my eyes only." She smiled sheepishly.

In some twisted way, he was enjoying this _immensely_.

And that's when it hit him.

He didn't have to do this anymore. He didn't have to taunt and tease her for precious attention. She _loved_ him. She was _in _love with him. He could hold her without being questioned. He could kiss her without being slapped. He join her in her bed and have his way with her, and wouldn't be rejected.

…He thinks.

According to her letter, she wantsto stay with _Stefan_, even after previously pouring her heart out about her true love for _Damon_.

She made his heart melt as well as his mind boggle.


End file.
